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Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, tracing its roots back almost 400 years to the Pilgrims, long before there was even a thought of a United States of America.

Thanksgiving is the ultimate family-centered holiday. It has no national-celebration connotations, and no required gift-giving. It lacks the commercialism, and political overtones of all of our other national observances.

It’s a day for schoolboy football, family gatherings, and not much else to do other than enjoy a great dinner with those whom we love and care about.

It is the only day on the calendar when we have no obligation other than to spend the day with those who mean the most to us. It asks nothing more from each of us (other than for the person who is doing all the cooking!) beyond just showing up and enjoying the company of our family and friends and then having a great meal.

Even in this time of divisiveness in our country, we all can agree that Thanksgiving makes us aware of what we have to be thankful for. Despite our present trials and tribulations, Americans are remarkably fortunate to be where we are. Thanksgiving is a national celebration that serves to remind us how blessed we are at a time when circumstances are so cruel for so many others in the world.

Thanksgiving serves as a rare day for relaxation, reflection, and inevitably — at least for some of us — a post-dinner nap or early night of sleep. In a time when so many of us are connected 24/7 to some instrument of communication, it truly is a relief to have a day when we can just shut it all off.